Fake Girlfriends
by RyuravenFox
Summary: Mikasa and Annie start fake-dating to get rid of unwanted male attention, but how long will it take before they start falling for each other for real? (rated T for swearing and suggestive moments)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was lunchtime at their school, and Mikasa followed Eren and Armin to the exit of the building. "Mikasa, can I speak with you for a moment?" a voice interrupted them.

Mikasa looked at the guy who spoke to her, she didn't know him. "Go ahead guys, I'll catch up in a minute." She said to Eren and Armin, following the guy to an empty corridor. She had a feeling she knew what was going to happen, but it would be rude not to give him the chance to say what he wanted to.

He was only slightly taller than her, and he made sure to take up all the space he could, taking a deep breath. "Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked.

Mikasa repressed the urge to sigh, it was another one, just as she thought. "No. Sorry, but I'm not interested."

He dropped his head. "I see." She started to turn around when he spoke again. "Then who is it that you like?"

"No one." She said flatly.

"If there's no one else you like, then why won't you go out with me?"

Mikasa did sigh this time. The persistent type. "Even if there was someone I liked, why would I tell that to someone who I've never seen before?" he opened his mouth, closed it again and left, his shoulders slumping. Mikasa sighed again and turned around, not expecting to see someone in front of her. "Leonhardt."

"Ackerman." Annie replied, her expression bored as always, hands stuffed in her hoodie pocket.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Mikasa asked.

"Hardly. I've had to turn down so many people myself, it's really a drag." Annie huffed.

Mikasa wasn't sure if Annie was serious or mocking her. "This was the third guy this week." She said, "I'm surprised you'd have so many people interested in you though."

Annie raised her hands, palms up. "Hey, I didn't come here to fight. I just happened to pass by when he asked you out." She scoffed, "And I bet those guys don't even really like you, they just like the idea of 'owning' such a strong girl. If girl is even the right word for you."

"I thought you didn't come here to fight." Mikasa countered, and started making her way to the exit. After a few seconds she noticed Annie falling in step beside her. It wasn't that strange, seeing as it was beautiful weather and almost everyone wanted to eat outside. A moment passed and she broke the silence again, "I bet they wouldn't bother us if they knew we were dating someone."

"Yeah." Annie huffed. "But where on earth would we both find someone willing to fake-date us, without having to worry about them trying to get serious."

"Where indeed." Mikasa mused. People flashed through her mind, she couldn't ask Eren or Armin, that would ruin their friendship. Definitely not any of the guys who asked her out. It wasn't likely that she'd find anyone who was willing to put up an act like that, except… She came to a halt, and Annie paused next to her, seemingly having come to the same conclusion. They looked at each other for a moment, then shook their heads. "No way." They spoke in unison.

They turned away from each other, but couldn't help locking eyes again. The idea was tempting, at least. It could solve the problem of being asked out so much, and it might get certain people to stop asking her when she'd get a date.

"Um…" Annie started. "We could, you know, think about it. I mean, those guys tend to be persistent and very annoying, plus my dad has been pestering me about getting a boyfriend too. Might get him to shut up." She shrugged.

"I guess. But we'll have to set up some rules, just so we know when to fake it and when we can hate each other."

"Yeah." Annie pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I'll give you my number and then we can meet up this weekend and see if we really want to do this."

xxx

That night Mikasa laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She really wanted those guys to stop asking her out. The one earlier today, well, he was one of the nicer ones. But dating Annie? Even if it was just faking it, she didn't exactly like the girl. Her phone buzzed and she picked it up, the message was from Annie.

 _Meet up in the park tomorrow and see if we're really doing this? -Annie_

Mikasa responded with a yes, asking what time they'd meet. It seemed that at least her Saturday would be filled. Setting her phone back down, she wondered if she should keep the truth hidden from Armin and Eren as well. If they went through with it, of course.

xxx

She saw Annie sitting on a bench in the park and joined her. "Hey."

Annie hummed in response, waiting a few seconds to turn her attention to Mikasa. "So… what do you say?"

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe we can go over the big lines and then decide?"

"Okay." Annie shrugged. "Let's see… pretend we're dating at school, thank god we don't have many classes together. And at my place when my dad's around. What about you, any place besides school?"

"Depends. I live with Eren and his parents, and Armin comes over a lot. I'm not sure if I should tell them the truth or fake it all the way."

"Hm. I'll have to keep it from Bert and Reiner too. I don't know if Bert still has a crush on me but I doubt they'll like it if they found out I ended up fake-dating you out of all people instead of him. Might be better to keep it a secret from everyone. Not taking a risk that we get found out, you know."

"Yeah. But that basically means we'll have to act all the time, unless we're alone."

"Ugh, true horror." Annie said in an extravagating tone, slumping on the bench.

While Mikasa agreed, she couldn't help but wonder. From the moment the idea was formed, it just drew her in, and she became increasingly curious as to what it would be like. "So, are we doing this or not?" she asked.

Annie looked at her and sighed. "Yeah. Although I have a hard time believing I'm actually gonna do this."

"Okay. Let's go over our rules then?"

"Sure thing. First of all, not too much touchy-feely stuff."

"Definitely not. I guess we could just eat lunch together. Sit next to each other. What else do couples do?"

Annie didn't answer, getting up instead. "C'mon, follow me."

"Why?" Mikasa asked.

Annie gave her a look and said, "Babe, have a little faith in me."

Mikasa raised her eyebrows and followed her. "Seriously? Babe?"

"Well I sure as hell ain't calling you sweetie or stuff like that." She shuddered, leading Mikasa through a few streets without another word. She paused in front of one of the houses, opening the front door with a key. "Just drop your shoes here." She said, taking off her own and adding them to the others that were sprawled out over the floor.

Mikasa closed the door behind her and did as she was told, looking up when a man stepped into the hallway. "I haven't seen you before. Are you a friend of Annie's?" he asked.

"Dad, seriously. Why would I bring home someone I'm not friends with? Just don't bother us. C'mon Mikasa." She started up the stairs, and Mikasa smiled awkwardly at Mr. Leonhardt before following Annie to her room.

They sat down on Annie's bed, a silence hanging between them. Mikasa let her eyes wander over the interior, not at all surprised by the clothes scattered over the floor. A desk stood in front of the window, books and papers spread over it. Annie's school bag laid against the closet, keeping the door from closing completely. The shelves next to it were well organized compared to the rest of the room, except for a pink bra with black lace hanging from the handle of what appeared to be a dagger.

"So…" Annie started. "Perhaps it's best if we go over how we should act around my dad first." Mikasa nodded, waiting for Annie to elaborate. "I'd say nothing yet until I get around to tell him. I don't know how he'll react to you being a girl, but if you get shit for it, just ignore him. Aside from that… I dunno. I'd rather not spent too much time with him."

"Okay. I tend to spend more time with my family, but if you're coming over I'll have an excuse not to. So I guess it's mainly around school."

They went silent again, and Annie hopped off the bed and picked up her laptop from the mess on her desk. She set it down on her pillow and started searching through some files. "This is a movie where there are two people faking a marriage shortly after they met. We can look for tips."

Mikasa hummed, watching in silence. When they got to the point where the main characters were asked to kiss, Annie paused the video. "Fuck. We'll have to kiss." She said, as if she hadn't thought about it before. She looked at Mikasa, then back to the screen. "The people in the movie might buy such a crappy excuse for a kiss, but I know real people will see straight through that."

"Are you saying we should… practice?"

Annie nodded, "This… this isn't your first kiss, is it?"

"No. Yours?" Annie shook her head and Mikasa leaned in, pausing just before their noses touched. Their breaths mingled, gazes unsure.

A moment passed and Annie squeezed her eyes shut, muttering, "Fuck it." and pressed her lips to Mikasa's, pulling back almost immediately, and mumbled, "That could've been worse." Her eyes went wide when Mikasa leaned in again and she hissed, "Are you seriously going to kiss me again?"

"We have to look convincing, right? So we'll have to get used to a real kiss." When Annie made a face she added, "Just for today. Until we no longer look like we're eating shit." She closed her eyes and placed her lips on Annie's, slowly moving them. Her lips were soft and her response gentle, unlike the few guys who had stolen a kiss from her. It wasn't bad.

"Annie, do you and your gue-" Mr. Leonhardt had opened the door, stopping mid-sentence when he saw what was happening.

The girls quickly broke apart and Annie shouted "Dad! Can't you fucking knock?! Get out!" he quickly left and closed the door, and Annie sighed deeply, running a hand over her face. "I guess I won't have to wonder about how I'm going to tell him anymore."

"That was awful." Mikasa said, burying her face in her scarf.

"Yeah. I guess there really is no going back anymore." She looked back at the screen, where the fake-fiancées were still frozen in their pathetic excuse for a kiss. "…Do you think that was enough practice? I really don't want to end up looking like those two."

"Let's just… forget about that for a moment and think about other things. Like…" she thought for a moment. "Like how did we get together. Who asked who out?"

"You asked me out." Annie said. "And today is our first date, obviously."

Mikasa crossed her arms. "And why would I have been the one to ask you out?" she said, not liking the tone Annie had used.

"Because you simply couldn't resist me anymore." Annie taunted. "And I sure as hell won't be asking you out."

"Couldn't resist you? I wouldn't even know what there _is_ to resist."

"Fuck you." Annie said, shoving Mikasa's shoulder.

"Fuck you too." Mikasa shoved her harder in return, and it didn't take long before they were actually hitting each other. When slaps on the arms turned to punches, Mikasa grabbed Annie's wrists and pushed her to the wall behind her. "Will you be a good girlfriend now?" she said sarcastically, to which she received Annie's most vicious glare.

"You're the one who said there's nothing to resist to me." Her glare turned into a smug grin. "But I got you so worked up you're already pinning me to the wall on our first date. Bit eager, aren't we?"

Mikasa made a face and let her go. "I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual." Annie announced, and then became serious again. "But I guess we'll be saying the opposite a lot. Or at least too much to my liking."

"What we do to keep persistent assholes away." Mikasa sighed.

"What indeed." Annie mused, clicking the play button on her laptop.

xxx

Mikasa arrived at home, getting herself a glass of water, seeing as Annie hadn't found it necessary to offer her anything to drink she was quite thirsty. Eren and Armin were playing a videogame in the living room, Carla cooking in the kitchen. "Welcome home, Mikasa. How did your date go?"

"Good." Mikasa replied, focusing completely on her glass. Carla often asked her that question, and each time she'd say it wasn't a date. She could almost feel how Carla's mouth fell open in surprise.

"You had a date?" she said, loud enough to make the boys look up from their game.

"You went on a date?" Eren asked, standing up.

"Yeah…" Mikasa buried her face in her scarf, she didn't want to lie to them, but Annie was right. If they knew the truth it was likely they would try to talk her out of it.

"I didn't know you liked anyone." Armin said.

"Yeah, me neither." Eren said. "Who is it?"

Feeling extremely uncomfortable with the situation, Mikasa swallowed what was still in her glass, and said, "You'll see. I'm going to my room." She left before the others could ask more questions, sinking down on her bed in the safety of her room.

She sighed deeply, her mind wandering back to when they kissed, before Annie's father interrupted them. It was true that it hadn't been her first kiss, but it was the first she actually consented to. Among the guys who had asked her out, there were those who thought the best way to ask her out was by kissing her; or that she would change her mind once she knew what good kissers they were. Naturally, each of those guys ended up with a broken nose, or worse.

Annie's kiss was by far the best she had, it wasn't forceful. It almost surprised her that the usually cold girl could be so gentle. Mikasa shook her head. It wasn't a matter of being gentle. Neither of them were into the kiss, so it was only natural they went lightly about it. Besides, it probably was the best way to convince others their relationship was real if they were nice to each other. Despite her reasoning, the kiss still clung to her mind, and she ran her hand over her face. "Fuck you, Annie."

As if on cue, she received a text message.

 _Dad doesn't mind you being a girl, but he's sad you didn't stay for dinner. Boohoo. Wanting to get to know you n stuff. Told him he scared you off. No need to come back here anytime soon. –Annie_

"As if I'd want to come back." Mikasa mumbled, typing a reply.

 _I basically told them I'm dating someone, and to Eren and Armin that they'll see who. Monday is going to be awful. –Mikasa_

 _No shit. Meet up at the vending machines at ground floor during breaks? –Annie_

 _In the mornings too? –Mikasa_

 _Bitch please, I don't do mornings. Don't bother waiting for me. It's bad enough that I have to spend all my breaks with you, I'm NOT getting up early for you. –Annie_

 _And I bet that's why you had to redo second year. –Mikasa_

 _Fuck you. Stop texting me, I'll see you Monday. –Annie_

"Yeah, fuck you too, bitch." Mikasa tossed her phone to the side, resting her eyes for a moment. This was going to be one hell of a week.

xxx

Mikasa had ignored Eren's endless amount of questions as she sat next to him in class, taking notes as best she could with him hissing in her ear. She glanced at the clock on the wall, five more minutes until the first break. She sighed in an attempt to calm down, with every minute that passed she grew more anxious. For the first time in her life, she wished class would never end.

All too soon the bell rang, and Mikasa decided to take a detour to the restroom to postpone meeting with Annie, as well as shorten the amount of time they'd have to spend together.

She easily found Annie standing across from the vending machines, back towards her, talking with a guy. As she got closer she could hear her say, "Dude, how many times do I have to break your fucking nose before you leave me the fuck alone?"

"Hey, no need to be so shy, I like that tough side of you, it makes you even cuter." He replied, and Mikasa had to admire his courage to say something like that to the already pissed blonde.

"Don't you fucking call me cute, I'm gonna fucking kill you, motherfucker!" Annie shifted her feet to her fighting stance, and Mikasa knew she had only one chance to step in before things got ugly.

"Hey babe!" she called before slipping her arm around Annie's waist, knowing that if she didn't give some sort of warning she'd be the one to get hit.

Annie looked at her in surprise and said, "Mind if I kick that asshole's ass first?"

"How far away are you from getting suspended?" Mikasa asked, knowing Annie had quite a reputation in the school's files.

"Oh. Right." She dropped her stance and fully turned to Mikasa. "How was class?"

"The usual." Mikasa said, it felt weird to talk so casually with Annie, especially with an arm around her. But couples didn't feel the need to retreat their touches, right? "Miss Ral getting all excited over English, as if we haven't had that since the day we started school."

"Miss Ral? Oh, you mean Petree."

"Petree?" Mikasa asked, furrowing her brow.

"Her first name is Petra and she's a tree hugger, she once talked about it in class and now we call her Petree. That was back when I still was in Reiner and Bert's class." Annie explained.

"Hey, Annie. Why are you ignoring me?" The guy she had almost punched earlier placed a hand on her shoulder. In the blink of an eye Annie had grabbed and twisted his wrist, forcing him to kneel on the floor.

"Don't fucking interrupt me when I'm talking to my girlfriend." She hissed, voice filled with venom.

"You two are dating?" he exclaimed, voice strained with pain, getting the attention of everyone in the corridor.

Mikasa crossed her arms. "Yes, we are. So stop trying to hit on my girl and get lost, you ass."

Annie released him, and he scrambled to his feet, staring at them for a moment before turning around and disappearing into the crowd. "Thanks." Annie said, looking up at Mikasa. "That guy was the worst. He used to be in my class and when he found out I had to redo a year he claimed he couldn't live without seeing me so much."

"Wow. That's over three years."

"Yeah." Annie sighed. The bell rang and she looked hesitantly at Mikasa, then leaned up to peck her cheek. "I'll see you at lunch." She picked up her bag and headed for her next class. Mikasa sighed, wondering if that kiss was really necessary. But when she looked up and saw how many people were still looking at her, she realized it was for the best after all.

xxxxxxxxxx

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of 'Fake Girlfriends'!

I'm not sure how frequently I'll update since I still have a bit more to write on this story, but it is one of my favorites to work on. I'm guessing there will be at least 5 chapters, and my aim is to have them all at least 3000 words each, so it'll be worth the wait.

Don't forget to leave a review, it'll fire me up to write more and maybe post the next chapter a bit sooner.


	2. Chapter 2

Annie and Mikasa get to know each other.

xxxxxxxxxx

 **Chapter 2**

Being in the same class, Mikasa had always tagged along with Eren and Armin during lunchbreak, whether they ate outside or inside. So when Mikasa told them to go on without her, they were surprised. "Where are you going?" Eren asked.

"I'm just going to meet up with Annie, we'll join you outside so save us a spot." She said, taking a different turn than the boys.

"Are you trying to tell me you're dating Annie?" Eren's voice boomed through the corridor, and Mikasa kept walking, looking in front of her. This truly was one hell of a day.

This time she had to wait for Annie, but she didn't mind since it meant there was no one around anymore. The blonde turned the corner, sauntering towards her, hands stuffed in her pockets. "Well what do you know, the love of my life is waiting for me like a loyal dog." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Mikasa sighed, not wanting to waste her energy on bickering. "Let's just get this day over with."

"Thanks for earlier, by the way." Annie said as they made their way to the doors. "I really could've been suspended if I knocked him to the hospital. I mean, it wouldn't have been the first time. Knocking him to the hospital, that is. I doubt they'll let me get away with self-defense a third time."

Mikasa hummed, pausing in front of the doors. "Should we hold hands?"

"Whatever." Annie grabbed her hand and pulled the door open. "Lead the way."

With Annie's hand in her own, even the short walk to the picnic table near the old oak seemed too long. It didn't help that all her friends stared, nor did the fact that they had no choice but to sit shoulder to shoulder to fit on the bench. Sasha, who sat across from them was the first to speak, "So you two are really going out?"

"Yep." Annie said, taking a sandwich from her bag.

"How's the sex?" Ymir called from the other end of the table, receiving a slap on her arm from Krista.

Annie just glared at her, and Mikasa replied, "We literally started dating this weekend. And mind your own damn business."

"Well, yeah, you don't have to tell anything you don't want to." Connie butted in, "But details, come on."

"Mikasa couldn't resist me anymore and confessed." Annie said quickly, and way too loud to Mikasa's liking.

"Annie!" she received nothing but a smirk in return, and hid her face in her scarf. "You are fucking evil." She muttered. The others laughed, moving on to a different subject. They knew neither of the girls was fond of answering a stream of questions.

xxx

When school finally ended, Annie had joined Mikasa, Armin and Eren on their walk home. Her fingers were intertwined with Mikasa's as they neared the point where they would part ways. "They just had to walk behind us, didn't they?" Annie complained.

"What's so bad about that? Even if they walked in front of us we'd have to hold hands just in case they looked back."

"No you dumbass, I'd actually have to give you a goodbye kiss. Blech." She stuck her tongue out to stress her distaste.

"Oh, fuck. You're right. But a quick one will do, I guess."

"It had better." Annie stopped when they reached the street corner. Eren and Armin had paused their conversation, not used to stopping along the way. "I'll see you tomorrow, babe." She said.

Mikasa quickly pecked her lips before letting go of her hand. "Bye." Annie gave a little wave before she crossed the street, and Mikasa smiled. She could finally stop faking affection, and it felt great.

"It's so weird that you two are a couple now, I never would've thought it was her. I mean, sure I didn't know you like girls, but still, Annie?" Eren said.

"What can I say, we understand each other like no one else does." Mikasa said, continuing her way home.

xxx

That night, Mikasa flopped down on her bed, typing away on her phone to send Annie a message.

 _Today sucked so bad, having to be around you so much. –Mikasa_

 _Then why are you even texting me? –Annie_

 _Because I have no one else to complain to, duh –Mikasa_

 _In that case, you stink. Literally. Or maybe it's the scarf? –Annie_

 _Very funny. Mom washed it yesterday, but I bet what you smelled was just your nose being too close to your mouth. –Mikasa_

 _Fuck you. –Annie_

 _No thank you, I'll pass on that one. I'll see you tomorrow. Oh shit PE –Mikasa_

 _? What's so bad about PE? I'll just kick your butt like I always do. –Annie_

 _Changing room, other girls, you know, another awkward day –Mikasa_

 _Fuck. Can't we just pretend we're really shy about it since we just started going out? –Annie_

 _I guess… fingers crossed –Mikasa_

She set her phone down and looked out the window. Stars twinkled high in the sky, it was about time to go to bed.

xxx

As they had expected, by the time their PE class started the majority of the students in their school had heard that they were dating. It was a rather awkward experience, but after two weeks of fake-dating most people had accepted it. There were still guys who tried to hit on them, but they lessened in number, and facing the two strongest girls in school made them think twice before doing anything more than talk. Their friends had quickly gotten used to it, the two groups starting to melt into one.

xxx

Mikasa had been staring at her phone for ten minutes now, debating on whether or not to text Annie. She had spent most of her day so far helping Carla out, who seemed to enjoy asking her an endless stream of questions about her relationship. As a result, she now desperately wanted to talk with someone without having to tell a single lie, and her only option was Annie. Sighing, she gave in and typed a message.

 _Wanna hang out? –Mikasa_

 _Why? –Annie_

 _Because mom has been asking me so many questions about us, I just need to be around someone I don't have to lie to. –Mikasa_

 _Fine. Meet me at the park. –Annie_

Feeling relieved, Mikasa put on her shoes and headed outside.

xxx

She sat on a bench in the park, wondering how long it would take Annie to get there, it had already been ten minutes. Suddenly the bench creaked when someone flopped down on it from seemingly nowhere. Mikasa looked to her right to see Annie take off her hood. "Where on earth did you come from?" The blonde pointed with her thumb over her shoulder, and Mikasa curiously looked behind them. Some bushes, a tree, and behind that a fence and a house. Instead of asking about her odd way of entrance, she noted the color on Annie's hands and asked, "Were you painting?"

"Something like that." A silence fell between them and Annie sighed. "Did you really call me out here to do nothing?"

"I said I just needed to be around someone I don't have to lie to. If you want to go somewhere or do whatever, just lead the way."

"Okay." Annie got up and smirked at Mikasa. "I'll lead the way, but don't expect me to come back for you when you can't keep up with me anymore." Mikasa stood up, thinking Annie's comment was nothing but a bad joke, until she started climbing the tree. Annie crept further over a branch, and jumped onto the fence from there. Mikasa followed her, wondering why Annie couldn't just walk like normal people. Annie jumped from the fence, catching herself on a brick ridge just below the roof of the house, and pulled herself up.

Mikasa took a deep breath as she prepared herself for what would be the hardest workout she had had in a long time. If she hadn't maintained her strength the way she did, she never would've been able to follow Annie as she made her way across houses and streets. After ten minutes they exchanged the city for a small forest. Annie slowed down to a walk over a thin but frequently used path, and looked over her shoulder. "You actually managed to keep up with me. I must say, that's quite impressive."

"It'd be pretty bad if I couldn't even impress my girlfriend." Mikasa joked. She knew where Annie had lead her. Years ago, a company had made plans to expand here, but had faced bankruptcy while building. As far as she knew, they only finished the parking lot, existing out of three floors, along with a partially build office block.

"I guess that means you'll be able to impress me one more time?" Annie said, starting to jog again as the forest cleared for one of the buildings. Mikasa followed her as she scaled a wall and climbed in through a window.

"And this is where the fun really happens." Annie said, spreading her arms to show the room when Mikasa entered.

Music played from a radio placed on the floor, empty and broken beer bottles were scattered across muddy footprints. Graffiti covered the walls, an open backpack with spray bottles laid against one of the walls, the scent of weed and alcohol hanging heavily in the air.

Before Mikasa could do more than taking in her new surroundings, Reiner came around the corner and joined them. "Annie, you're back. Oh, hey Mikasa."

"Hi…" she said hesitantly, not sure what to make of the place Annie had brought her to. She knew Annie and her friends were what some would refer to as the 'bad kids', but finding out they entered abandoned buildings to do illegal things was not something she expected. Reiner picked up a bottle of black spray-paint and took a draft of what was probably not a regular cigarette. Mikasa glanced at Annie, who was watching her with crossed arms.

"So, what do you think? Pretty cool, huh?" Annie said when Reiner left around the corner again.

"Uh… I guess?" Mikasa answered hesitantly. "But isn't this illegal?"

"Pssh, if we're not gonna paint this block, someone else will. In fact, that's happening anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

"And I assume you don't drink or smoke either?" Mikasa crossed her arms, her tone carrying light sarcasm.

"Actually I don't." Mikasa raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wow, you don't believe me? You, the one person I'd never lie to?"

"As if you don't lie to me."

Now it was Annie's turn to raise her eyebrows. She walked towards Mikasa and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I lie to the whole world, but not to you, _babe_. And yet you find it hard to believe that I can find good reasons not to get addicted? Do you really think I'm so lost that I don't have other ways to blow off steam? That I can only follow my friends in their choices?"

Mikasa remained silent for a moment, letting her gaze drop to the floor. "You bringing me here and calling this place 'pretty cool' might have made me jump to conclusions." She admitted.

Annie smiled and shook her head. "And here I thought I made you jump enough on the way here, but _no_." Mikasa chuckled and Annie went to lean against the windowsill. "You're not entirely wrong though. I used to drink and smoke a few years back, even if it wasn't as much as the boys. But then I discovered parkour and the two just didn't mix well, so I chose the one that was the most fun."

Mikasa nodded, coming to stand next to her. "Anything else you haven't told me yet?"

"I love you." Mikasa's smile dropped and she stared at Annie as if she had just turned into a crocodile. "Not!" Annie burst out laughing. "Oh my god! You should've seen you face. Hilarious!"

"Oh, ha ha. And then you dare say I was the one who confessed first. Bitch."

"Can't help it that I'm so damn hot." Annie winked at her and walked towards the bag at the opposite wall, giving an extra sway to her hips as she did so. She picked up a couple of spray cans and turned back to Mikasa. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to continue where I left off when you so rudely interrupted me."

Mikasa followed her to the adjacent room, which was a lot larger than the one they came from. Berthold sat slumped against a wall, below a painting of a green unicorn, with a couple of empty bottles next to him, while Reiner was spraying dicks over another painting a bit further. Annie muttered under her breath when she saw it, headed over to a different wall, and continued on what appeared to be a wolf howling to the moon. "That's beautiful." Mikasa commented.

"Oh, thanks. I made all the ones with animals in them, at least on this floor."

Mikasa looked around. "Even that phoenix? Wow. You're really good at this."

xxx

Mikasa returned home in time for dinner, where she earned a suspicious look from Grisha. "Mikasa, why do you smell like weed?"

She tensed for a moment and sniffed her clothes. He was right, the smell did cling to her. "Reiner was smoking it."

"Reiner smokes pot?" Eren asked surprised.

"Who is this Reiner and why were you hanging out with him?" Grisha asked, as always worried about the well-being of his children.

"He's one of Annie's friends. And before you ask, no, Annie doesn't smoke."

"I sure hope so. I don't want you hanging out with that kind of people, let alone date them." Mikasa rolled her eyes, it was not like it would matter even if Annie did smoke, they weren't really dating.

xxx

A few weeks passed and a boy several years younger than her approached Mikasa the moment she arrived at school. "Mikasa?" he asked, voice slightly shaking with nerves. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Mikasa looked at him, waiting for him to say more. "Um… maybe somewhere privet?" Mikasa sighed and nodded, following him to an empty classroom. She and Annie had been faking it for over a month now, and she had really hoped that would keep all the confessions away by now. But it seemed like this boy, this _child_ , wanted to do so anyway. "Um…" he started, "Annie was late to meet with you yesterday, right?" he asked.

"Yeah." Mikasa shifted her weight on her hips, suddenly not so sure that she knew where this was going anymore. It was true that Annie had been late, but she hadn't given an explanation, so it couldn't have been important.

"Well, um… I don't want to upset you or anything, but…" his eyes darted nervously to her crossed arms, "I just thought you had the right to know this…"

"Know what? Get to the point."

"I saw Annie kiss with an upperclassman." He squeezed his eyes shut, as if he was afraid she'd hit him for delivering such news.

"Is that all you wanted to tell me?" Mikasa asked after a pause.

"You're not angry?" he asked confused, hesitantly opening his eyes.

Right, she had to play the caring girlfriend. "It wouldn't be the first time some dude is stupid enough to try and kiss her. I bet she broke a few of his bones as payback."

"What? No! Um… I mean… she was the one who started it… I'm sorry."

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. If Annie had really found someone she liked she'd have no problem telling Mikasa to fuck off and deal with her admirers on her own. Was the boy lying? Regardless, she'd have to play along for now. "I'll have a chat with her later, thanks for telling me." She gave the boy a pat on the shoulder and left the classroom. Now all she had to do was wait for Annie to arrive on the first break to find out how much of what he said was true.

xxx

She found the blonde sipping from a can of coke at the place they always met up. "Annie, we need to talk. Outside."

"What?" She gave Mikasa a confused look. "But it's cold out."

"Then there won't be anyone to listen in. Let's go." Annie picked up her bag with a sigh and followed Mikasa outside, where they sat down on one of the benches, no one would be able to listen in on them without them noticing. "Some kid came to me this morning, telling me you were late last night because you were making out with some dude."

"Why are you telling me? It's obvious that's a lie, right?"

"My first thought was that you'd have broken some bones, but then he said you started it. I doubt you'd keep this thing with me going if you liked someone, but here's the thing. The kid looked really scared that I'd hit him. It just seems strange for someone to tell me such a lie if they're afraid to get beaten."

"Hm. That _is_ kinda weird. But if you must know, I was late because some first year kept trying to talk with me, even though she clearly didn't know what to say."

"That's odd. You'd almost think they planned it." Mikasa said, tapping her chin in thought.

"Yeah." Annie straightened her back. "That actually makes a lot of sense. But I doubt those kids came up with the idea."

"Do you think someone is trying to break us up?"

"It's possible. I mean, we both _are_ quite popular." Annie said, standing up. "Not that it's going to work, you can't break what doesn't exist."

"Well, I just figured I'd ask. You know, in case you found someone you liked but hadn't come around to tell me yet." Mikasa stood up as well, starting to make her way back to the school building.

"Wait." Annie said, making her pause and look around. "Just in case something like this happens again, I- I actually am a lesbian, so you know it's a lie if anyone tells you I'm hooking up with a dude." Annie stared at a patch of grass between them.

Mikasa fully turned to her, stepping closer. "Annie, is this the first time you've told this?" With how she acted, it almost had to be. Annie nodded. "But, you're so casual about it when you tell people about us."

Annie shrugged. "I just figured I could always tell we were faking it if anyone gave me shit for being with a girl. It makes coming out feel less scary, less real, like I can just hop back in the closet if things become too much."

Mikasa surprised her by pulling her into a hug. "Don't worry, I've got your back. I won't let anyone hurt you because of who you like."

Annie pulled her closer. "Thanks."

xxxxxxxxxx

Leave a review, and I can promise you'll love the next chapter ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Where I live it's legal to drink beer from age 16, stronger liquor from age 18. Just so you know that they're not illegally drinking.

Prepare your heart, you're gonna love this. ;)

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 **Chapter 3**

Mikasa sat at her desk, solving math problems, and Annie laid on her bed, doing the same. They had decided to spent some time studying together, but now that they actually were alone, Mikasa couldn't concentrate. She kept glancing over to Annie, who's feet swayed lightly in the air as she scribbled in her textbook. Her attention was drawn by the slight moving of her lips as she worked on the problems. Mikasa forced her eyes to look back to her book. She had solved one problem in the past thirty minutes. Realizing her efforts were futile, she closed her book and sighed. Annie looked up and said, "You done already? Can I copy?"

"No, I can't concentrate."

"So you want to copy from me?"

"That's missing the point. I'll do it some other time." Mikasa said.

"You're such a good student, give yourself a break for once." Annie said playfully. "What makes you can't concentrate anyway?" she asked. When she received no answer, she sat up a little. "Don't tell it's because of me. I thought we already moved past the stage of wanting to gauge each other's eyeballs out."

Mikasa smiled wryly, "Yeah, no. I mean, you're just distracting me. I don't know why though." She shrugged, "But I don't hate you, you're nice."

"Oh, I get it, _you're in love~"_ Annie teased.

"In your dreams." Mikasa retorted, and Annie chuckled, then flopped back onto her stomach to continue on her homework. Mikasa simply watched her as she finished the exercises and tucked her books away in her bag. Annie noticed she was being watched and sat up, patting a spot on the bed next to her.

Mikasa hesitantly made her way to the bed, not looking at Annie as she sat down. "What's wrong?" She felt Annie's hand on her shoulder.

"Nothing. It's just…" she sighed, "I don't know."

Annie pulled her into a hug and said, "Don't worry, you'll figure it out." Mikasa closed her eyes, leaning into the touch. Somehow, this was exactly what she needed. Annie retracted her arms and they laid down. She then pulled her phone out of her pocket, showing some pictures of her art to Mikasa.

"They're beautiful."

"Thanks. Reiner joked that I should make one of you a few days ago, so I made this." She swiped the screen to show a painting where Reiner got his ass kicked by Mikasa.

Mikasa laughed, patting Annie on the shoulder. "Nice one." They looked up when there was a knock on the door. "Yes?" Mikasa said and the door was opened by Carla.

"Are you staying for dinner, Annie?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll just let my dad know." She replied and typed away on her phone. Carla nodded and closed the door behind her.

"It's kind of funny how easy it is to convince everyone we're dating." Mikasa mused.

"Well, it's not hard to play the part. I mean, getting to kiss one of the hottest girls in school is not bad at all." Mikasa stared. Was that really how Annie thought about it? "Ha!" Annie pressed a finger to Mikasa's nose. "You fell for it! You totally did!"

"So… I'm not one of the hottest girls in school?" Mikasa asked as Annie sat up.

"Psh, as if. I gotta pee." Annie got up and left the room, leaving Mikasa to her thoughts.

xxx

Weeks turned into months and near the end of the Christmas holiday everyone was invited over to Krista's house for a party. Mikasa had no doubt it had been Ymir's idea to put the size of the house -mansion- to good use. They were all invited to stay the night as well, so long as they brought sleeping bags. While the house did have two guest rooms prepared, it was likely they would need more space, despite the beds being king sized.

And so it was that Mikasa found herself standing on the doorstep of the largest house she had ever seen, holding a backpack with the necessities for a single night, while Eren rung the bell next to her. A servant opened the door and guided them to their respective bedrooms so they could drop off their bags. After that they were led to a large living room, where they were met by a giant flat screen TV, the music channel playing softly. A long, low table was stowed with drinks and snacks, several couches gathered near it. So far the only others were Krista, Ymir, Armin, Jean and Marco.

They joined them on the couch, and Mikasa mostly listened when the others talked about their holiday so far. The conversation was interrupted each time one of their friends arrived, and fifteen minutes later, Annie was the last one to enter the room. She muttered a quiet "Hi." when the others greeted her, and sat down next to Mikasa, pecking her on the cheek.

"Alright!" Ymir spoke up, ending all other conversations that were still going. "Since we're all here, let's get started with a fun little game." Mikasa now was twice as sure that had Ymir planned the whole party. "Grab a beer, we're gonna play never have I ever." Once everyone had an open can in their hands, Ymir continued. "Let's see who the veterans here are. Never have I ever gotten drunk." She, Krista, Annie, Reiner, Berthold and Sasha took a sip from their beer. "Marco, you're next."

"Um… Never have I ever kissed a girl?" he said hesitantly, bringing his very first beer to his lips, and watched as Connie, Armin and all the girls did the same.

"Never have I ever kissed a boy." Jean said, upon which Sasha, Annie, Mikasa and all the boys, minus Eren and Armin, lifted their beers to their lips. "Oh? Does that mean you've never had a kiss, Eren?" Jean grinned, pleased with his discovery.

"Maybe I'm not interested in kissing? Anyway, it's Sasha's turn." Eren brushed off the comment.

"Okay, um, never have I ever smoked pot." Sasha let her curious gaze wander around the group, while Annie, Berthold, Reiner and Ymir took a gulp from their drinks.

"Never have I ever stolen anything." Connie said, and Mikasa watched as she, Armin and Marco were the only ones not to drink. She would have to re-educate Eren once they were back home.

Reiner smirked proudly, keeping his beer near his lips when he said, "Never have I ever been chased by the police." Annie chuckled as she and Berthold drank as well, which earned her a scolding look from Mikasa. Annie playfully shoved her, then turned her attention to Berthold.

"Never have I ever spent the night in an abandoned building." Berthold said quietly, and eyebrows were raised when the same three drank again.

"Never have I ever given a car a 'free' layer of paint." Annie said, both she and Reiner chuckled at the memory they shared, and Berthold shook his head as the duo drank.

"Damn, Mikasa." Ymir interrupted the game. "You're dating a serious criminal."

Mikasa met her eyes with her famous deadpan stare, and bumped her arm against Annie's to get her attention before speaking. "Never have I ever gotten someone into the hospital with a single hit." She and Annie clinked their cans together and drank in unison. Ymir averted her gaze, suddenly very interested in Krista's hair. Annie crunched the empty beer can in her hand, opening a new one before Eren continued the game.

It didn't take long for empty cans to litter the floor around the table, and they slowly forgot what game they were playing. Music was turned up and most of the teens started dancing, while Ymir spurred Sasha and Connie on to join her in the mayhem of drunken pranks. Mikasa had retreated to the armchair in the corner, not wanting to be pulled into the madness. While she loved partying with her friends, dealing with all of them drunk while being intoxicated herself, was a little bit too much for her.

Annie flopped down on the armrest of the chair, draping her arm over Mikasa's shoulders. She leaned in, breath reeking of beer. "Wanna make out?" she asked quietly.

"What? Why?" Mikasa flushed in surprise. It wasn't like she minded, but she didn't see what the point was, considering all their friends were too caught up in their activities to notice what they were doing.

"Because I'm drunk, horny, and if I kiss with anyone else I'll be accused of cheating." Annie said matter-of-factly. "Besides, it's not like you're a bad kisser. So what d' you say?"

"I'd say you're lucky that I'm drunk. But no biting." Annie wasn't a bad kisser herself, a good one even, but Mikasa wasn't about to tell her that.

"I'll be nice." Annie said in a voice sweeter than Mikasa had expected, and pressed their lips together. Unlike the kisses they had shared before, this one was rough, needy. It didn't take long for Annie to slide her tongue over Mikasa's lips, asking for entrance. Mikasa opened her mouth, enjoying how soft Annie's tongue felt on hers. All too soon Annie started to retreat, and Mikasa sucked on her tongue, digging her fingers into Annie's shoulder. A low hum escaped the blonde, and she broke away for a second to shift her position so she was straddling Mikasa's lap, then tackled her lips again with renewed vigor.

Mikasa wrapped her arms around Annie, pulling her as close as their position allowed. She felt Annie's arms snake around her neck, fingers tugging lightly on her hair. Soft lips moved to a song only they could hear, playing only for them in a world of their own. Annie was all Mikasa knew, her thighs pressing to her hips, her chest heaving against her own, hot breath washing over her each time Annie exhaled, her sweet scent prickling Mikasa's nose and penetrating all her senses.

Annie's hands moved, coming to a stop on Mikasa's shoulders, digging her fingers in the flesh. She grunted, pressing a final hard kiss to Mikasa's lips before pulling away. Mikasa opened her eyes, not wanting the kiss to end. But before she could say anything, Annie grabbed her hand and dragged her along to the girl's bedroom, barely registering the shouts the others made as they walked by. As soon as the bedroom door slammed shut, Mikasa was pressed against it.

Annie's hands hit the wood at both sides of her head, and Mikasa could feel her body heat even though they weren't touching. Annie breathed heavily, staring up at Mikasa with pure lust in her eyes. Mikasa bit her lip, whatever Annie had in mind for her, it had to be good. A moment passed in which nothing happened, then Annie pushed herself away. "This was a bad idea." That sentence brought Mikasa back to reality. They were drunk, not in love. That kiss had left her craving for more, but she didn't want it to go further than that. Not like this. She reached out to grab Annie's arm and pulled her in a tight embrace, hoping the pressure and warmth would help her calm down rather than getting frustrated. "What are you doing?" Annie squeaked in surprise.

"Isn't this less frustrating than no contact at all? And you don't have to worry about touching anything you shouldn't." As if to prove her wrong, Annie squeezed her butt, and Mikasa quickly backed up so she was pressed against the door once more. Annie turned her head and rested it on Mikasa's shoulder, pressing her hands to Mikasa's shoulders to tighten the embrace even further. Many minutes passed before they started to calm down, and eventually their grip on each other loosened, and Annie stepped away. She walked over to the glass door at the opposite side of the room, and stepped out onto the balcony, allowing a cold breeze to enter the room.

Mikasa stared at her for a moment, then pulled her gaze away. A bed. Sleep did sound nice. She took off her shoes and sweater, wondering why she was even still wearing them, and laid down under the blankets.

xxx

The first thing Mikasa noticed was a dull headache. She slowly pried her eyes open and was met with an unfamiliar view. She tried to move but something heavy laid on top of her. Annie. They had an entire king sized bed to themselves, and Annie decided to use her as pillow out of all things. She glanced around the room. Annie had luckily remembered to close the glass door last night, through which daylight now entered the room. By the looks of it, neither Sasha or Ymir had come to claim their sleeping bags, and Mikasa blushed as she remembered why they likely hadn't. She shifted lightly, hoping to find a more comfortable position, but that only resulted in Annie moving so she was even more trapped. All she could do now was wait.

Nearly an hour later Annie moved again, breathing in deeply. Mikasa immediately took the opportunity to slide one of her legs out from under Annie, who opened her eyes to sleepily look at her. She blinked. "What the fuck are you doing in my bed?"

Mikasa chuckled. "This definitely is not your bed. It isn't mine either."

"What?"

"There was a party, remember?"

There was a short pause, then Annie seemed to throw off the last remnants of sleep. "Fuck."

"No, 'fuck' did not happen." Mikasa said dryly.

"Thank god." Annie rolled off of her and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Your outfit seems to disagree." Mikasa pointed out, unable to look away from the matching blue-laced bra and panties.

"Oh, shut up." Annie shoved a pillow in her face. "I wear less at home, so this hardly proves your point."

 _Annie slept naked._ Mikasa blushed at the thought, glad Annie couldn't see her face. "Are you trying to seduce me now?"

The pillow was harder shoved in her face. "I swear to god, if you don't stop this pillow will be the death of you." Mikasa laughed, pulling the pillow down and onto her lap. "Besides," Annie continued, "If I ever tried to seduce you, you wouldn't even be able to think of any funny comments. You'd be pudding in my arms." Annie leaned towards her, flicking her nose. "Just like that. And don't stare at my boobs." Mikasa turned her head away from Annie, embarrassed that her glance downwards was caught. It wasn't her fault that Annie had decided to lean over and flaunt her boobs. And there was a lot to flaunt too.

xxx

Five days had passed since the party, and Mikasa hadn't spoken to Annie after they parted ways. As if it wasn't enough that all their friends thought they had had sex at the party, they really almost had. The alcohol had no doubt played a big part in it, but there simply was no denying that her moment with Annie kept playing through her mind. Just remembering their kiss made Mikasa want to make out again. Why on earth did Annie have to be such a great kisser?

Mikasa shook her head, she never had a kiss like that before, she wouldn't even know if it was bad. And the way Annie had looked at her, nothing but pure desire in her eyes... She knew that that desire hadn't been aimed at her specifically, she just happened to be there. But no matter what she told herself, she couldn't deny the fact that Annie in her underwear was _hot_.

"Mikasa! Are you ready? We need to leave for school!" Carla called, pulling Mikasa from her thoughts.

"Just a moment!" Mikasa called back, grabbing her backpack and checking herself before running down the stairs. At least she wouldn't have to see Annie until first break.

xxx

Mikasa paused in front of her locker, only to find a large brown envelope taped to it. "What the?" She looked around, but out of the few people digging in their own lockers, no one seemed to notice what was stuck on hers. Curiously she peeled the envelope off of her locker and peeked inside. Pictures. A lot of them. The first few showed Annie sitting in a restaurant with a guy, then they were outside, kissing. A lump formed in Mikasa's throat. She knew it couldn't be true, yet the picture made her feel sick.

"Hey, babe." An arm slipped around her waist and a kiss was planted on her cheek. "What do you have there?" Mikasa turned her head, looking at Annie who raised her eyebrows as she studied the picture. Annie took the pile of pictures from her and flipped through them. "Looks like breakup-boy is a stalker with photoshop skills."

"Stalker?" Mikasa asked, still confused as to why Annie was at school so early.

"Yeah, my dad took me to that restaurant. And for the record, I did not kiss him." Annie sifted through the pictures once more, taking a few of them out of the pile.

Mikasa chuckled. "I didn't think so anyway. Come on, let me dump those." Annie put the majority of the pictures back in the envelope, which Mikasa threw in the trashcan. "How come you're here so early?" Mikasa asked as she opened her locker.

"My dad insists I come on time at least the first few days after a long holiday."

Mikasa nodded, then smirked as she got an idea. She leaned towards Annie so their noses nearly touched, and softly said, "Are you sure that's not an excuse for wanting to see me sooner?"

Annie puffed her cheeks, her face slightly pinker than it usually was. "As if." She walked past Mikasa, on to her own locker. Mikasa smiled. Annie could be quite cute at times.

xxx

"Don't you guys have anything for each other?" Mikasa looked up at Eren's question.

"What?"

"It's valentine's day. Shouldn't you two be all over each other?" Mikasa looked to her other side, where Annie sat. She had completely forgotten valentine was a thing.

"The only thing I'm 'all over' is lunch." Annie said, taking a bite out of her sandwich. Mikasa smiled, if there was one thing she could count on, it were Annie's comments to save them from uncomfortable conversations.

Still, the people close to them would likely find it weird if they didn't even have a date for valentine. It was a Friday, and within that lied the expectation for a date in the weekend. If they didn't have that people would start questioning things. She would have to come up with a plan quickly, and any plan that involved spending time with Annie was bound to be a good one.

xxx

After school Mikasa had insisted on following Annie to her home, where they now sat on Annie's bed. "I suppose this is your idea of telling the rest of the world we did do something for valentine?" Annie asked.

"Kind of. Besides, you're fun to hang out with."

"You're fun to hang out with too." Annie smiled softly, then pulled up her knees, hugging them.

Mikasa placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is something bothering you?"

"Not really." Annie muttered.

"I can tell you're lying, but if you rather keep it to yourself that's okay."

Annie sighed. "It's just… all this talk about love and dates makes me wonder what it'd be like, to go on an actual date."

"Well, I'm free this weekend. We could go to a restaurant together, if you're okay with that."

"Are you sure you're not just hoping for another make-out session?" Annie teased.

Mikasa gently took Annie's chin between her fingers, forcing her to lock eyes. "If I wanted to kiss you, I'd just do it."

"Oh really? Prove it." Annie pressed forward, leaving mere inches between hers and Mikasa's face.

Mikasa felt her heartbeat speed up, her stomach tingled with butterflies, and Annie stared at her with such an intensity it left her breathless. But she was Mikasa Ackerman, and Mikasa Ackerman did not back down from a challenge. She slowly shut her eyes, closing the gap between their lips. Annie was warm and soft, and every bit as perfect as Mikasa remembered her to be.

A moment passed, and she pulled back, opening her eyes to find Annie's filled with a hesitant tenderness. Mikasa dropped her hand, searching for words. "So, um… how does lunch tomorrow sound?"

"Um, sure, if there's still a free table somewhere." Annie averted her gaze, toying with the strings of her hoodie.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I had the first 3 chapters ready when I started posting this fic, and the plan was to post chapter 2 when I finished 4, 3 when I finished 5... But I'm lacking inspiration for this particular fic for almost a week now, so I posted this despite only having a third of chapter 5. I just didn't want to make you wait any longer.

I still don't know if there'll end up being a 6th chapter, and there's still a lot to fix on the fourth too. I hope you will be patient with me.

Leave a comment, who knows it'll help me find the inspiration I need! Much love to you all.


	4. Chapter 4

You're gonna love it, and you're gonna hate it. In that order. Prepare your hearts.

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 **Chapter 4**

After some searching, Mikasa had been able to find them a place in a restaurant. Given, it was two in the afternoon, but with a last minute valentines date even that was a lucky call. So now she sat at a small table across from Annie, giving their orders to the waiter. She couldn't help but think that with having nothing but her drink and Annie until their food was ready, perhaps a restaurant wasn't the best choice for a date after all. Neither of them were good at starting conversations, but seeing as it was her idea to come here, Mikasa figured she should at least try. "So… did you paint anything new recently?"

"Yeah." Annie pulled out her phone, smiling as she showed Mikasa her new creations. "I should have one where Reiner and Bert fell asleep, and I painted bears attacking them." She searched through her pictures until she found it, and let Mikasa hold her phone to look at it.

"You keep amazing me with your art. Ever thought of painting on a canvas instead? You might even earn some money with it."

"I don't know. I don't like the idea of selling my babies. Paintings! I meant paintings." Mikasa chuckled. Somehow, knowing that Annie cared so much for her art warmed her heart. "Well." Annie said, taking her phone back, "When the guys woke up they were still a bit wasted and they totally thought it was a real bear." She shook her head. "I wanted to tell them it wasn't real but I was too busy laughing. They were running around and screaming…" Annie giggled, and to Mikasa it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

"Did you film it?" Mikasa asked.

"No, sadly not. I'd be laughing my ass off each time I saw it." A smile rested on Annie's face.

"I wish I had been there to see it."

"Well, fun stuff happens there all the time, so just join me next time. With those two something funny is bound to happen."

"Um… there's not really a good way to put this, but I don't really like that place. With all the smoke and stuff."

"Oh. It's okay, I get what you mean. I'm used to it by now, but even I leave when other people start to show up. It's really just a place or me to paint and hang out with the boys." Mikasa nodded in understanding. "Maybe you're right. I should try painting on a canvas. That way I won't have to be in that bad air. But I'm not selling anything."

"Not even to me?"

Annie made a thoughtful face. "Alright. I'll make a self-portrait of me in my underwear, seeing as you liked that so much." Mikasa's face went bright red, and she suddenly was very aware of the people sitting near them. "But don't forget, you're paying. I'm not doing this for free."

"Thank you, but I think I'll pass." Mikasa was grateful when the waiter brought their food, interrupting the conversation. It had been ages since she last ate at a restaurant, and the smell alone made her mouth water. She took a bite and closed her eyes, enjoying the way the flavor danced on her tongue.

"This is really good. You picked the right restaurant." Annie said.

"Thanks." Mikasa said and let a silence fall between them, happy to simply gaze into Annie's blue eyes while she ate.

xxx

After they left the restaurant they walked through the city, and Annie paused in front of one of the many shops. "How about we get ourselves a dessert?" she said, eyeing the sweets behind the glass hungrily.

"Didn't we already have one?" Mikasa asked, curiously looking at the many heart-shaped chocolates in the small bakery. Maybe Annie wanted something they didn't have at the restaurant.

"Donuts." Was all the explanation Annie gave before she entered the store.

"Donuts?" Mikasa wondered to herself, waiting until Annie exited the shop, holding a donut in her hand. She closed her eyes as she bit into her treat, enjoying each bite so thoroughly it made Mikasa want a donut too, despite her full stomach. "You are so cute."

"Shut up." Annie said, her voice carrying none of the venom it usually did when she told someone off.

"Can I have a bite?"

"Hell no, get your own." And so Mikasa entered the store, buying a donut and joining Annie outside again. She took a bite. It was sweet and delicious, but still a normal donut. She lowered her hand as she chewed, and soon found Annie's teeth sinking into her donut. She looked so happy that Mikasa couldn't get it over her heart to stop her. She patted Annie's head with her free hand, smiling when Annie made a sound akin to a purr. She allowed Annie to eat from her hand until nothing was left, then intertwined their fingers and continued along the way. Annie stroked the back of Mikasa's hand with her thumb, a satisfied smile on her face.

xxx

Annie unlocked the front door, frowning as music met them upon entering. "That's strange, dad said he'd be out all day." They took off their shoes and placed them with the others.

"Did he get a date?" Mikasa asked, hanging up her coat.

"I doubt it. He just doesn't want to risk getting in our way." They entered the living room, where the radio was playing a waltz. "Leaving the radio on… just what was he thinking." Annie raised her arm to switch the power button off, but her hand was caught by Mikasa.

"May I?" When her words were met with confusion, Mikasa added, "Have this dance?"

"What? Oh my- are you for fucking real?" Annie's cheeks reddened, suddenly she was unsure of where to look.

"It would be a waste of the opportunity."

"Okay..." Annie mumbled, allowing Mikasa to position their hands and step in to the rhythm of the music. After having spun a few circles in the small living room, Annie finally met Mikasa's gaze, her cheeks still flushed.

Mikasa's memory of how her mother taught her to dance faded as she melted into Annie's beautiful blue eyes. She felt so warm in her arms, secure in the way their hands were clasped. As they swirled through the room the world around them blurred. Eyelashes fluttered, momentarily disguising the center of the universe from view. A tongue slipped outside, drawing attention to soft red lips.

The music slowed down, and their swirling turned to swaying. Mikasa swallowed, parting her lips. She let her hand slide from Annie's to her hip, gently closing the distance between their bodies. Annie's free hand came up to meet her other behind Mikasa's neck, tilting her chin slightly upwards. Mikasa leaned down, eyes falling shut as her lips met Annie's. Soft. Warm. Gentle. Sweet. Everything she had come to know Annie as.

All too soon the moment was over, and they gazed into each other's eyes, searching for answers. After several long minutes Annie averted her gaze and spoke, her voice soft. "I'm sorry."

Mikasa swallowed, stepping away from Annie. _I'm sorry._ Those words stung in her chest. "I should go home." She didn't want to start crying in front of Annie.

"Yeah…" Annie said quietly, dropping her arms to her side.

"Bye." Mikasa said, putting on her shoes and coat in the hall. Annie did not come to see her off. Mikasa stepped outside, allowing the cold air to sting her cheeks. What had she been thinking? Kissing Annie out of nowhere. And then Annie apologized. That had to mean she didn't feel the same way. But she had leaned into the kiss. That had to mean something, right? Did she only do it because it was part of the 'date' and the mood was there? Or did she think that was the reason Mikasa kissed her? Did Annie like it? Was there a chance for their relationship to change to something real? Should she go back? No. what would she even say if she did? Whether that kiss today really meant something or not, she would find out soon enough.

xxx

After finishing their lunch, the entire group left the school cafeteria and headed for the lockers. Mikasa had been lost in thought when Annie's voice caught her attention. "What the hell is this doing in my locker?" Annie pulled a picture out of her locker, frowning as she saw what was on it. "Reiner, give me your fire." She ordered, to which the boy quickly handed her his lighter.

Annie set fire to a corner of the picture, catching the attention of the rest of their friends. Mikasa looked at the picture before the flames completely obscured the view. "I guess we know what breakup-boy spend his valentine on." Mikasa said, crossing her arms.

"What's going on?" Eren asked.

"Ever since Annie and I started dating someone has been trying to get us to break up by telling the other is cheating. This time he placed a picture of you and me kissing in Annie's locker." Mikasa explained.

"What?! Eww, I don't want to kiss you! Err, no offence Mikasa." Eren added quickly.

"None taken." She wasn't exactly interested in kissing him either. Kissing Annie however…

"But how can he get a picture of something that never happened?" Eren asked, interrupting Mikasa's thoughts before they could get far.

"There is this little thing called photoshop." Annie said as she dropped the remains of the picture to the ground, so the flames couldn't reach her fingers.

"Why would anyone try to break you two up though?" Reiner asked.

"We're both quite popular, in case you hadn't noticed." Mikasa said, smiling at Annie. "Which is something I can understand."

The bell rang and the group left for their respective classes. Annie poked Mikasa in the ribs with an elbow, making her pause. "Something you can understand?" she said quietly, "And here I thought you didn't know what there was to resist about me."

"Well excuse me for playing my part, princess. Now if you don't mind, I have a class to attend." Mikasa set off in the direction of her class, sighing at the meaning Annie's words carried.

xxx

Mikasa tapped her pencil on her notebook, the teacher's words passed through her ears without her registering anything, the ones written on the blackboard nothing but blurred scribbles. She couldn't concentrate. Her date with Annie that weekend… it had given her some hope for more. Hope for something real. But then she apologized for the kiss. And the way she had burned the picture, nothing but her same old bored expression on her face… The way she pointed out how they used to bicker…

To Annie this was all still a scheme to get rid of unwanted attention. She had merely used Mikasa to satisfy her curiosities and whims. It was only natural. They only started their relationship thinking they'd never get real feelings for each other. Mikasa shook her head. She couldn't have real feelings for Annie. She had to do everything she could to stop herself from falling for Annie. Because if she didn't, there would only be hell awaiting her in the future.

Mikasa shook her head, doubling her effort to catch the instructions of the teacher, noting down the important parts. Diving into her work was an excellent way to keep unwanted thoughts at bay.

xxx

 _Can we hang out? -Mikasa_

 _Im at tthe abandned officee buildon -Annie_

 _…I told you I don't really like that place. And what's up with the typo's? -Mikasa_

 _Wel, im stayun hre. But we cn ly n thr grasss if yu wanna -Annie_

 _It's cold outside. -Mikasa_

 _Dont wrry, ill kep ou warn -Annie_

Mikasa's heart skipped a beat. _I'll keep you warm._ God. Why did Annie have to be so damn perfect? She bit her lip and typed a reply.

 _Okay… I'll be there in ten. -Mikasa_

Mikasa got up from her bed and put on her shoes and jacket, then rode her bike across town. She kicked her pedals harder than she usually did. It wasn't that strange for Annie to make typo's, but the sheer amount made her worry. Before too long she was riding over the narrow trail in the trees, and she locked her bike where she thought it wouldn't attract attention.

 _I'm here. -Mikasa_

After sending Annie a text, she waited until Annie climbed out the window-opening on the level floor. Not her usual drop 'n roll from the higher floors. She surprised Mikasa by giving her a hug, making dozens of butterflies flap their wings inside Mikasa's stomach. Annie then led her to a patch of grass some distance from the building, where they lied down. "Are you okay?" Mikasa asked.

"Yeah, I'm perfect." Annie said, sounding far-off.

"Are you sure? You seem a bit out of it."

"Nah, I just smoked, that's all."

"You smoked?" Mikasa propped herself up an elbow. "Why the hell did you do that?"

Annie met her gaze, letting a silence hang between them. Then she raised her hand, softly stroking Mikasa's cheek. "You're so pretty."

"Eh, um… thanks." Mikasa stuttered, blushing at the sudden compliment. "But why did you smoke?"

"Are you angry with me?" Annie asked, rolling over to her side.

"A little." Mikasa admitted.

"I won't do it again, I promise." Mikasa sighed and laid back down on her back. To her surprise Annie rolled over so she was lying half on top of her. "Will you forgive me?" Mikasa's skin tingled where she felt Annie's breath on her.

"… just this once." It wasn't like it bothered her that much that Annie had smoked, after all it was her body and her choices, but not knowing _why_ she had done it _did_ bother her.

"Oh, thank you. I'll make it up to you with a kiss." Annie leaned in, starting to close her eyes, but Mikasa pushed her away. She could smell the drug in Annie's breath.

"No! No kisses!"

"Why not?"

"Because your breath smells like weed."

"Oh. Do you have some mint on you?"

"No."

"Damnit." Annie pouted. Mikasa chuckled, not entirely sure if Annie was joking or not. And truth be told, she hoped she wasn't. Mikasa frowned, pushing the thought away. She absolutely could not, should not give in to her desire to kiss Annie despite the smell. Why did Annie have to act like this when she was high or drunk? Doing her best to ignore the pain in her heart, Mikasa wrapped her arms around Annie. She held her tightly, hoping that somehow, it would keep her from drowning in the dark hell that was unrequited love.

"I'm cold." Mikasa said after a while.

"Me too."

"Then why did you say you wanted to stay here?"

"I can't go home. My dad will be so angry at me if he finds out I smoked again."

"We can go to my place, if you want. You can just hop on the back of my bike."

"Isn't that illegal?"

"You're illegal." Mikasa said, flicking Annie's nose. "So what do you say, want to come home with me?"

"Okay."

xxx

And so Mikasa found herself sitting on her bed, Annie behind her, braiding her hair. "Your hair is so soft." Annie commented. Mikasa hummed, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of Annie's hands in her hair. Despite her attempts to suppress her feelings, she wanted nothing more but to turn around and press a kiss to Annie's lips. She clenched her fists, she knew she couldn't. It was betrayal.

She couldn't just end what they had going. Both of them would get bothered again, and she'd lose the one reason they had to hang out together. She had to distance herself from Annie. She had to find a way to forget about her. Her heart squeezed painfully at the thought, and she clenched her teeth. Why did she have to fall for the one person she could never _truly_ have?

xxx

It was near the end of the school day, Mikasa had sent Annie a text, telling her to wait outside of her classroom when the bell rang, rather than at their usual spot. Annie's class was at the topmost floor, and no one else would linger around after the bell went. It was a special day, and she didn't want to wait until the next weekend to celebrate it. Mikasa packed away her book, taking a moment to ensure her gift was still intact.

When the bell rang she was the only one to take the stairs up, and she found Annie leaning against one of the walls of the empty corridor. "Hey." She said, feeling more nervous than she should when Annie flashed her a smile. "Happy birthday." Mikasa said, pulling a yellow rose from her bag.

Annie accepted the flower, her cheeks slightly pink. "… thanks." She twirled the flower between her fingers, looking up at Mikasa. "Now I feel kinda bad for not giving you any on yours."

"That's alright. There's always next year." Mikasa smiled, glad to know that Annie really cared about her.

Annie nodded absently, eyeing Mikasa curiously. "Why did you give it to me here though? Wouldn't it be better if you gave it to me in front of some people?" Mikasa opened her mouth, but no sound come out. Annie's words had effectively crushed every hope she still had to get closer with her. "I mean, I appreciate the gift, but if others saw this it'd be more convincing. I mean, us dating would be more convincing. You know, just keeping up the act."

"Uh, yeah…" Mikasa swallowed, hoping that the pain didn't affect her voice. "Do you want to do this over, in front of people?"

Annie shook her head. "No, it's cool. That would just make things awkward. There are plenty of ways to play convincing girlfriends." A moment passed in silence, and Annie lifted the rose to her nose, sniffing it. "Roses are my favorite flower. Thank you. I mean it."

Mikasa smiled weakly, at least Annie liked her gift. "Shall we go?" she asked, holding out her hand. Annie took it, making Mikasa's hand tingle despite her heartbreak, and they descended the stairs together.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'm sorry.

The next chapter will be pretty much the opposite of this one, and I'll do everything I can to keep chapter 6 pure happiness.

Leave a review! Much love to you all!


	5. Chapter 5

Sadly we need to pick up in the mood we left off, but things will get better. Much better.

*gives cookies and tea* Enjoy!

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 **Chatper 5**

It was the first day of the year that it was warm enough to eat outside again, something all students made great use of. Half of their lunch break had passed, and the air was filled with chatter. Mikasa and Annie sat quietly with their friends, listening to them, when someone nearby started making a lot of noise.

A group had gathered near the picnic table they sat at, in their middle a guy whom Mikasa vaguely recognized. She narrowed her eyes, knowing he was there to cause trouble when he led the group to their table. "Here they are, people, the two strongest girls in school, dating. Or are they?" He smirked, placing some speakers on the table, and held his iPad so that everyone sitting at the table could watch.

The video showed Annie and Mikasa standing in an empty corridor. Annie held a yellow rose, and Mikasa felt chills go up her spine, knowing nothing good would come out of this.

 _"Why did you give it to me here though? Wouldn't it be better if you gave it to me in front of some people?"_ Annie's voice came out of the speakers, and Mikasa could feel her tense next to her. _"I mean, I appreciate the gift, but if others saw this it'd be more convincing. I mean, us dating would be more convincing. You know, just keeping up the act."_

 _"Uh, yeah…"_ Mikasa clenched her fists, going through this pain a second time only a day after the first was not how she had imagined her lunch to go. _"Do you want to do this over, in front of people?"_

 _"No, it's cool. That would just make things awkward. There are plenty of ways to play convincing_ _girlfriends."_

The guy smiled at them and said, "Your secret is out, now everyone knows you two are faking it to get attention. What are you going to do about it?"

To Mikasa's surprise, Annie stood up and smiled. "You see, as long as Mikasa and I have been dating, someone has been trying to break us up. We just decided we'd go around saying things like that in places we could easily be overheard, to lure you out. I always had my suspicions it was _you_ trying to break our relationship, considering you still don't understand the meaning of the word no after _three years_ of hearing it. You've been sending photo-shopped pictures and freshmen to us both to try convince us the other was cheating. And now you're trying to use social pressure to break us up. Unfortunately for you your little video is nothing but an act, and everyone here can know that you are a stalker, and a devious human being. Trying to come between other people their relationship is just disgusting."

He no longer had a smile on his face, but he crossed his arms and sneered, "That is what you say now, but is it true? All your close friends are here. Ask them. I am sure there were many times they wondered how on earth you two could stand to be together. Or how easily you disregard the possibility of cheating, without even getting worried over it. Oh no, Annie. You're playing a game, you're playing hard to get on the most difficult level. And for what? For a little bit of attention. Well, your game just backfired. If you wanted me, you should've just said so. Making me jealous isn't going to work." Now the pieces fell together in Mikasa's mind. This was the guy who tried to hit on Annie on their first day 'together'.

Annie placed her hands on her hips. "First of all, ew. Secondly, just because I don't start crying on the spot and discuss my relationship with Mikasa in the middle of school doesn't mean I don't care about the possibility of her cheating on me. And for fucks sake, _please stop assuming that I am whatsoever into you._ I'm one hundred percent gay, I love Mikasa, and as far as I'm concerned she could be the one I spend the rest of my life with." She paused, and he wasn't able to reply to her words. "By the way, I've requested a restraining order for you. Very soon, the law will forbid you from coming anywhere near me. I guess I should thank you for all the pictures you gave us as evidence." Annie gave him a moment to let her words sink in, then added, "Now fuck off."

"You're gonna regret this." Was all he said before he picked his stuff up from the table and stomped away. Slowly, the crowd started to disband and Annie sat back down, staring at the wooden table rather than meeting anyone's gaze.

"So… who wants free chips?" Sasha broke the silence, pulling a bag of chips out of her backpack. Everyone seated at the table quickly responded, grateful for the opportunity to break away from the awkward atmosphere. Mikasa watched them for a moment, then turned her gaze back to Annie, and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Annie hummed. "I think so. Talking in front of so many people gave me an adrenaline rush."

Mikasa smiled and wrapped an arm around Annie. "I think you did great. I'm proud of you."

Annie glanced up at her, blushed, and went back to staring holes in the table. "It was embarrassing. I can't believe I said all that. And in front of so many people too."

The words stung and Mikasa pulled her arm back, clasping her hands in her lap. "At least it worked. I don't think he'll bother us again."

"Yeah." Annie blew her breath out between her teeth, and got up. "I'm gonna walk around a bit. Alone." Mikasa watched her leave, then let her gaze drop to her hands. Her heart squeezed painfully as she remembered what Annie said. She wanted those words to be true. She wanted Annie to love her. But there was nothing she could do. When they decided to start dating, they did so thinking they would never actually fall for each other. And now her heart had broken that promise. She had no choice but to carry that pain by herself.

xxx

The day ended, and Annie followed Mikasa home, saying she wanted to work on their homework together. Mikasa let her into her room, but didn't start on her homework, knowing she wouldn't do much good with Annie in her room. Not to mention all the questions going through her head after what had happened during lunch break. She sat down on her bed, watching as Annie pulled out her textbooks on the floor.

"Are you not starting on your homework?" Annie asked, looking up.

"No, the whole scene during lunch is just…"

"Hey, don't worry about it." Annie came to sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her. "I really am getting a restraining order for that guy, and now pretty much everyone in school knows about what he did too, so we have plenty of witnesses in case we need them."

Mikasa took a deep breath. "That's not it…" she sighed. "You saying you love me and all that…"

Annie stiffened. "Well, what else was I supposed to say? That he was right?"

"… It didn't sound like you were acting…" At least that was what Mikasa hoped for. She didn't dare to look at Annie.

"Um, well… I do like you." _She did?_ "You're my friend." Annie quickly added. "One that I'd love to have around for a long time." _As a friend…_

Mikasa's heart ached and her throat hurt, making it hard to breathe. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't, not with Annie here. "I'm gonna take a nap." She said quietly, hoping no emotion seeped through in her voice. She lied down, face to the wall and closed her eyes. Her throat hurt with the effort of holding back her tears, but she ignored it.

The fact that human ears couldn't turn as much as the ears of many animals was not something Mikasa thought she'd ever be glad about, but right now, she really was. Each time she heard a sound caused by Annie, be it the rustling of her clothes or paper, the scribbling of a pen, or a breath taken loud enough for her to hear, she could feel her ears wanting to turn in her head to listen more closely.

Finally, there was the sound of books being shoved in a bag, and the bag zipped close. "Mikasa?" Annie's voice was quiet, as if she didn't want to risk waking Mikasa up if she was asleep. "I'm going to leave now." Mikasa didn't respond. The sooner Annie was gone the sooner she could let her tears fall.

However, instead of hearing the door, the bed creaked and the matrass dipped when Annie sat down on it. Mikasa felt how warm fingers stroked hair out of her face. Her heart hammered in her chest, and Mikasa hoped Annie wouldn't notice. "You're so beautiful." Annie whispered. "I just wish I knew what was eating you." After that Annie sat in silence for several minutes, making Mikasa wonder just how long she was planning to stay.

Mikasa felt the weight on the bed shift, and she felt Annie's breath on her skin. A kiss was placed on her cheek, but Annie still didn't leave after that. Mikasa dared to open the eye furthest from Annie, and saw her hand clenching the blanket. Then, Annie pushed herself off and the door opened. There was a pause in which Mikasa swore she could hear her mutter "Coward.", and then the door shut.

After a moment Mikasa released a breath she didn't know she was holding, and rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. What had that all been about?

xxx

It was weekend, and Mikasa had a lot of homework to catch up on. She stared blankly at the papers in front of her, reading the question for the umpteenth time, registering nothing. Sighing, she turned away from her books, taking her phone instead.

 _Is it okay if I come over? -Mikasa_

 _Sure, just don't panic if no one opens, I'm out for the moment. Shouldn't be long tho. -Annie_

Mikasa slowly made her way to Annie's house, memories of when she last was there playing through her mind. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all. But she couldn't just cancel now. She stared at the ground as she walked. This just kept getting worse. Everything had been fine, until she fell in love with Annie. Each moment apart she longed to be with her, and each moment together she was confronted with her one-sided love. She looked up when she heard her name, and saw Annie at the front door of her house. She didn't know if she wanted to run into Annie's arms or run away as fast as her legs could carry her.

She smiled and waved at Annie, closing the final distance while Annie opened the door. She had been carrying a grocery bag, and went to store the goods in the kitchen while Mikasa closed the door behind her. What was she doing here? What was she hoping to achieve by being here, with Annie? Drown in the darkness?

Annie came back and pulled her into a hug. Mikasa wrapped her arms around Annie. She was so warm. Her sweet scent calmed Mikasa's thoughts. Maybe this wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Annie gently stroked her back, taking a sharp breath as if she was about to speak, but no words followed. After a few minutes Annie pulled back and patted Mikasa on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go to my room." Mikasa nodded and followed, sitting down on Annie's bed. "Are you alright?" Annie asked, voice laced with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're lying." Annie said, sitting down next to her.

"Yes." What point was there in denying it? Annie knew something was bugging her, and by the looks of it, she wasn't planning to let it go.

"Are you going to tell me what's eating you?" Mikasa didn't answer. What was she even supposed to say? Confess her love and lose Annie? "Mikasa, I'm not blind. I know something has been bothering you for a while now, and by the looks of it, it's just getting worse. Talk to me. Maybe I can help you." She placed her hand on Mikasa's shoulder, softly stroking with her thumb.

"I- I can't." She shrugged Annie's hand off of her. "Just… leave me."

"Mikasa. I know we started hanging out to get rid of the guys breathing down our necks, but you're my friend now. I won't sit and watch in silence when you're having a hard time." Mikasa stared at the floor, vision blurred with tears that threatened to spill. _Friend_. That was how Annie saw her, and it hurt so much. "Did someone hurt you?" Mikasa shook her head. "Mikasa," Annie said softly, stroking her hair, "I can't be there for you if you won't let me."

"I'm sorry." Mikasa finally said, her voice betraying the tears she was holding back. "I broke our promise."

"Promise? What promise? I don't remember making one."

"I don't want to lose you." Mikasa squeezed her eyes shut, letting the tears fall onto her lap.

"You won't lose me. I like you and I'm not going anywhere." Annie gently stroked her back. "What makes you think you'll lose me?" Mikasa answered with more tears, and Annie pressed a kiss to her head. "It hurts to see you so heartbroken, girl." Annie froze, finally putting the pieces together. "Is there someone you like?" A shock went through Mikasa, but she didn't answer. "Is that what's eating you? You think you can't be with them? Do you want to break up?"

"NO!" Surprised by Mikasa's sudden outburst, Annie jerked backwards, hands in the air, eyes wide. "No." Mikasa repeated quietly, clenching her fists as she looked at Annie through a curtain of black hair. "I want to date you for real."

A heartbeat passed in silence, then Annie's expression softened and she said, "You can." She reached up, wiping the tears from Mikasa's cheeks. "You can." Mikasa closed her eyes, releasing a shuddering breath. She had been wrong. Her feelings were not one-sided. Tears spilled from her eyes again, only this time they were from relief and happiness. Annie wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I've been wanting to ask you on a real date for so long, but I always chickened out in the end." Annie whispered. "I feel so stupid now."

"I thought you would never like me." Mikasa buried her face against Annie's shoulder. Even now she had a hard time believing this was happening.

"Are you crazy? It didn't take long at all for me to start falling for you. We were still bickering a lot, but spending time with you made me realize just how… perfect you are. It really didn't take longer than a few weeks."

"But all the things you said-"

"I know. I said some really stupid stuff. Each time I tried to tell you that I liked you I chickened out and played it off as a joke. I was just so scared that I'd lose what we had going and I wouldn't be able to see you at all. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I was the same."

"We suck at this dating thing." Annie sighed.

"How could you know? We haven't even started yet." Mikasa's voice was still raw with emotion, but she smiled when she pulled back to look at Annie. "Not really."

Annie smiled shyly, and said, "So, we're dating now? For real?"

"Yes." Her voice shook with a breathy laugh, and she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind Annie's ear. She was so beautiful. Mikasa's eyes flicked from Annie's eyes to her lips, and she leaned in for a kiss. It was slow and gentle, their hearts beating as one for the first time. Mikasa slipped a hand under Annie's legs, and pulled her onto her lap. She wrapped one arm around Annie, and the other hand found her cheek. She was so soft, so warm.

"So," Annie started when they pulled back, "How about a real date?"

"I'd do anything as long as it means spending time with you."

"You're making me blush."

"I know, it's super cute." Mikasa leaned in for another kiss.

"I didn't know you'd be such a sap." Annie giggled.

"Shut up." Why did Annie have to be so damn adorable? Mikasa just wanted to kiss her and never stop. However, Annie pressed a finger to her lips.

"Before I forget, my dad is going on a business trip next weekend. He leaves around four in the afternoon on Saturday, and won't be back until Monday. So if you want to stay the night, I'm sure my bed is big enough for the both of us."

 _A night with Annie._ "Sounds perfect."

Annie smiled and removed her finger from Mikasa's lips. "Now you can kiss me." And Mikasa did.

xxx

Mikasa was already wearing her coat when she stepped out of her room. She wore her nicest clothes, but didn't want to alarm her parents to the fact that something might be different about this date. Seeing that it was a sleepover date already made it different enough. She pulled the strap of her bag over her shoulder, and headed for the car, where Carla was patiently waiting behind the wheel. She sat down in the back seat, placing her bag besides her. She wanted to put as many distance between herself and Carla, hoping to avoid any awkward conversations. The engine roared to life, and Carla rode out of the driveway, into traffic. "Mikasa." Carla drew her attention, "Do you know when I can pick you up tomorrow yet?"

Mikasa sighed, her stomach twisting with nerves. "I'll just send you a text." Having a time limit hanging over her head was not her idea of a nice date.

"Okay. Now, more importantly," Mikasa sank her head in her hands. _Please don't._ "I want you to know you don't need to do anything you're not comfortable with. And-"

"Can we please not have this conversation?" Mikasa said.

"I just wanted to make sure you-"

"Carla, please. I'm seventeen. I know, you don't need to tell me anything. You're just making this whole ride awkward."

"Sorry." Carla sighed. "Time passes so fast. You're growing up so fast and sometimes I forget you're not a little girl anymore." Mikasa didn't say anything, and the rest of the ride went by in silence.

xxx

As Mikasa pressed the bell, she heard Carla back off of the driveway. The door opened and Mikasa quickly stepped inside. She dropped her bag to the floor and when her eyes found Annie, her brain stopped functioning.

Annie was the type of person that could make all the heads turn when she walked into the room, have people obey her every wish with a snap of her fingers. And while she usually hid it with baggy clothes, a vicious scowl and little to no makeup, Mikasa was sure of this now.

Annie raised one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows. "How long do you plan on staring at me?"

Mikasa opened her mouth, needing a moment before she found her voice. "As long as it takes for my brain to start working again."

Annie chuckled, the sound waking up butterflies in Mikasa's stomach. "Does that mean you like what you see?"

Mikasa let her eyes travel over Annie's figure. Her blonde hair was pulled neatly into a bun, still slightly damp from a shower. Her makeup was done perfectly, scowl replaced by a soft gaze. A golden necklace rested on her collarbones, and a long red dress hugged her body in all the right ways. A pair of matching high heels completed the picture, and Mikasa looked up to meet Annie's eyes again. "Definitely."

Annie smiled, cupped Mikasa's cheek and leaned in for a kiss. Mikasa melted upon the touch of her lips, hands quickly finding Annie's hips and pulling her closer. She felt Annie smile and pull away, not wanting the kiss to end, Mikasa pressed forward. A hand pressed to her shoulder, and she reluctantly pulled away. "You are in quite a mood." Annie said playfully.

"What can I say? I'm in love."

Annie hummed. "I like that." She placed a hand on Mikasa's stomach. "Do you think there's enough place for some food in your belly, or is it full of butterflies?"

Mikasa blushed. "I think so."

"Good. Because I made you dinner." Annie turned around, walking towards the kitchen, but Mikasa caught her arm.

"Wait." She pulled Annie back into her arms, kissing her deeply. Annie melted into the kiss, and she wrapped her arms tightly around Mikasa. Dinner could wait.

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I don't know when I'll post the sixth and final chapter, but I can promise it will be pure love.

Feel free to ask me anything about this story, I love talking about it.

Leave a comment, and as always, much love to you all!


	6. Chapter 6

I wanted to make this chapter as long as the previous ones, but after months I had only added a few sentences to what I already had when I released chapter 5. So I decided to just give you what I have, instead of making you wait the rest of your life. It's short, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Chapter 6**

"I wish I had a dishwasher. You deserve better than drying off wet plates." Annie said as she started on cleaning a pot.

"I don't care what we're doing. So long as you're by my side anything is fine." Annie blushed a deep red, and Mikasa was sure she would have buried her face in her hands if she hadn't been using them. "You're so cute."

"Shut up, Ackerman." Annie said quietly. Mikasa smiled, knowing she had this kind of effect on Annie made her happy. When they were done washing the dishes, Annie broke the silence. "Um… would you like to dance again?"

"Of course," Mikasa followed Annie to the living room.

"Dad's cd's are next to the radio, you can pick something you like." Annie said, sounding a bit nervous. "I don't really know how to dance like you do but so long as you lead it should be fine."

Mikasa pecked her on the cheek, and took the pile of cd's in her hands. She sorted through them and smiled. "Do you think you'll do well with some up-tempo music?"

"You're talking to a girl who does parkour in her free time. I think I can handle everything you throw at me so long as I don't need to know any moves."

"In that case." Mikasa set the radio up with the chosen cd, then took her position with Annie.

Annie recognized the music. Tango. It was a fierce and passionate dance that went with such music, but it required two skilled dancers. And if there was something Annie never bothered to learn, it was dancing. Did Mikasa not listen when she said she couldn't dance?

Mikasa moved with the music, clearly having had a lot of practice, and she was mindful to keep Annie's role in the dance to a minimum. After all, this was not so much to dance together as it was for Mikasa to show off her skills, while keeping Annie within arm's reach. And judging by the increasingly red color on Annie's cheeks, her plan was working nicely.

Mikasa was breathing heavily by the time the music ended, and she leaned her forehead to Annie's. "Did you enjoy our dance?" Her answer came in the form of a kiss

XxX Deleted Scene XxX

"There's just one problem." Mikasa looked up from the bed, seeing Annie wearing seemingly nothing underneath her nightgown as she stepped inside the room. "I forgot I'd need a pajama today." Mikasa felt her face heat up when Annie slowly walked towards her, undoing the belt and revealing a matching set of red underwear with black lace. Annie leaned forward, hovering over Mikasa. "Like what you see?"

Mikasa forced her eyes to meet Annie's. She swallowed. "Yeah." Her voice was breathless.

"Good. Because that's all you're seeing tonight." Annie shrugged off the nightgown and climbed in the bed. She crawled closer to Mikasa and kissed her, gently forcing her to lie down. She rested her body on top of Mikasa's and broke the kiss. "Goodnight, gorgeous." Annie then switched off the light, filling the room with darkness.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Mikasa hissed when Annie rested her head on her chest. She held Annie's chin between her fingers, forcing her to lift her head again. "You don't get to be a tease." She kissed Annie, holding the back of her head so she couldn't escape.

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